(1) Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to coaxial cable sensor devices for distributed strain measurement, and more particularly to a multiplexed strain sensing system that can be used for shape sensing applications.
(2) Description of Related Art
Waveguide-based sensing devices have increasingly demonstrated their utility in recent years, leading to their expanding adoption in areas previously dominated by more traditional sensing methodologies. This growth is due in large part to the several distinct advantages waveguide-based sensors have over other, earlier methods, including the ease with which such devices can be multiplexed and simultaneously interrogated along a single waveguide structure, thereby allowing for distributed sensing over a substantial distance with high spatial and temporal resolution. Coaxial cable strain sensors have particular advantages that make them uniquely suited to mechanically harsh and otherwise challenging sensing environments that limit or exclude the use of other sensing modalities. Coaxial cables are substantially more mechanically durable than optical fibers, and thus are better suited to applications in which high mechanical stresses or significant bending are encountered.